BetterMen on The Daily Show
February 5, 2010
Last Wednesday, the men of BetterMen were featured in a satirical look at men in our culture.
Though we felt it was a great opportunity to gain exposure for our circle, and for men’s work in general, not everyone agrees.
Some enjoyed the entertainment value and could appreciate the format of the show. Others objected to placing our work up to ridicule.
Here’s a link to the segment. Tell us what you think.
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Hey Wayne,
Unfortunately the video won’t load for Canadians!
Looking for a canuck link…
The Daily Show may not love Canadians, but we BetterMen sure do! Try going to BetterMen on Facebook and view the clip from there.
I liked seeing myself on TV, and I loved how they focused on Daniel right when Sami B referred to “Vagina Men.” I was bummed they didn’t use the footage of Sami blaring over the megaphone that Bobby was no longer wanted in the “circle of love.”
The big plusses: BetterMen was shown in print (when they showed the sign) and Wayne Levine was mentioned by name.
The big minus: When they edited Wayne to make him sound as if he had said “It’s socially unacceptable for men to gather” before showing men at sports bars and titty bars, as if to prove how full of it he is.
The smaller minus: Editing the wisdom circle to make it look like the men were standing around awkwardly with nothing to say to each other.
I was also disappointed the piece wasn’t really about Men’s Work as much as it was addressing the issue of whether men are an oppressed minority. That guy Professor Ferrel was incredibly lame (which is why he got so much more face time than Wayne did!).
Anyone unfamiliar with Men’s Work, who possesses even a minimum of sophistication about TV and comedy, will know that piece was not a serious critique of Men’s Work or anything else; it was a farce, and the organization and the men who agreed to participate must be pretty secure to have skin thick enough to let Sami B. make a joke at their expense! I think it ought to reflect well on BetterMen, but of course, anyone can see what they want to see.
I thought it was a pretty funny bit, but didn’t see it really benefiting the organization.
Maybe the exposure could be leveraged with other media outlets to try and present a more serious view of what the work is.
Good luck!
I’ve gotta say its certainly effected my view of BetterMen. I’m on the east coast so I’m not a member but I’ve been toying with the idea of joining MKP out here and recently found a bunch of articles that turned me off to the idea. BetterMen might not have the same awaked rituals as MKP but the one two punch of seeing this the day after reading up on MKP really jaded me towards mens’ groups.
If there’s something driving you toward being with the men, don’t let what you read on the Internet stop you. MKP has been supporting men for many years. Mistakes may have been made by a few men, but one bad apple… As for the Daily Show piece, you have to understand that the show is satire. Every subject is handled in much the same way. Our goal was to increase our exposure. Our constant challenge is that most men have no idea that our kind of support is available to them. Based on the hits to our web site, a lot more men now know. As for you, Benjamin, go do a men’s weekend and build those trusting relationships.
This was quite entertaining in a way only The Daily Show can pull off. And it brought more hits to your site, which proves any publicity is good publicity.
Do men need more ‘satire’ like this on top of the wider media that depicts men as bumbling idiots and women as ‘strong and independent’ who need to save men from themselves? Do you expect that men will want to join you after seeing that? It was ridiculing the men’s movement, whether is is mytho poetic or otherwise.
Warren Farrell who is a well known leader in men’s issues has written many books including: The Myth of Male power and Why Men Earn More.
One such men’s issue he explains why the pay gap exists, women choosing lower paid, more flexible jobs like nursing, social work, work less hours than men and take time off between pregnencies to take priority of their children. Men work in more competitive jobs that require more time invested with higher pay to provide for their families.
Incidentally single women are earning more than their single male counterparts in many areas of the world:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1145973/How-paid-men-Stay-single.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/urban-women-earn-more-than-men-460217.html
So before anyone even gets a chance to hear about Warren Farrell, he is a laughing stock because of this ‘satire’ that few who have never heard of him will take him seriously. Now if that is your idea of introducing a man to your organisation, I can say I strongly disagree with your methods.
I thought the segment was mildly funny in parts, but it made you guys look like chumps. If I had never heard of the group, I wouldn’t have checked it out. They made it look like a typical effeminate “men’s group” where guys try to “find themselves” and whine about how mean their wives are.
Actually, you have egg on your faces, you’ve been had by the daily show.
Your Men’s organisation has allowed itself to be collectively emasculated and is the antithesis of what it should be standing for. Men should be standing up to this kind of ridicule from women (Sami B) not sitting there passively allowing it to happen and satire or not the result is still the same.
Here is the reality of what men must deal with, whether they realise or not:
Men’s Issues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57EWApOypIQ
Misandry – Men Don’t Exist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZAuqkqxk9A
Equality – Suffrage and UK voting rights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d25esQeBoU
TVOntario: Men, Maleness, and Equality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLJ0vXXWEYo&feature=related
Domestic Violence – 1 in 4 Women: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN-TUkPRuY4
I understand that some of you are sensitive to the way men are portrayed in the media, and for good reason. I’ve read Warren’s books and I certainly appreciate the battle we’re in, as men are so disrespected in so many ways. But we still have to have a sense of humor. Without it, men simply come off as victims. When that happens, we’ve lost our audience. I think that has something to do with the way The Daily Show so easily made fun of Warren. In that environment, you have to be very careful about how you communicate your points. And you have to remember that The Daily Show treats all subject matter in the same fashion. If you’re not familiar with the show, and you view the segment out of context, it’s easy to “not get it.” I’m a fan of the show and pleased that so many viewers visited out site after the show. That was our goal. Again, we have a lot of work to do to give men the support they need. Having a sense of humor helps, as long as we stay focused on our goals.
After attending the weekend, participating in men’s phone groups and studying the book daily and applying the principles, the toungue and cheek way we were portrayed on the Daily Show, is overshadowed by how my wife and daughter see me which is being the man I want to be and loving me for it. Jon Stewart is not the kind of man I want to be.
So, how does one find a group of men to hang out, discuss stuff, etc?
Would love some tips, pointers, as to how to find a mentor(s) as well…